Unpacking California’s wild weather year
It’s Monday. We talk to New York Times meteorologist Judson Jones about California’s “pretty amazing” precipitation in 2023. Plus, in Los Angeles, the “coroner of the stars” has the final say.
Overall, when it comes to precipitation, 2023 was one for the books. California measures annual rainfall over a water year, which runs from October 1 to September 30, and the most recent water year ranks as California’s 10th wettest since record keeping began 128 years ago.
I spoke with my colleague Judson Jones, a reporter and meteorologist for The New York Times, about California’s weather year, how we can understand it and what to expect in 2024. Here’s our conversation, which has been lightly edited:
So was 2023 a particularly unusual weather year in California?
It depends on how you define ‘unusual’. Did we expect atmospheric rivers to topple California? Yes. After being in a drought for so long, was the rain a major whiplash? Absolute. Then you think about the snow we saw in Tahoe after we got back-to-back-to-back atmospheric rivers, and these lakes that formed in farmlands. And then Hurricane Hilary: a year’s worth of rain fell in 24 hours in Death Valley. A rare, bizarre event occurs. The amount of water that came down in 2023 was certainly astonishing.
How would you explain all that rain and snow we saw? Was it a coincidence? Was it climate change?
I think what we’re seeing with these extremes is that there are a lot of things that are being affected and shifted as a result of climate change. We know that a warmer atmosphere can hold more moisture, which means we could see heavier rainfall and greater snowfall. Scientists will take time to attribute different things, such as how much was climate change and how much was a shift in weather patterns. These are things that will continue to emerge from research in the coming years. But the fingerprint of climate change was certainly in these events.
There’s also a part of extreme weather that comes down a bit to chaos. A weather event that happens in the wrong place at the wrong time can have a huge impact.
Fast forward to now. We are heading into an El Niño winter. What does that mean for California?
El Niño changes weather patterns, bringing more storm systems across California. This is probably going to be another pretty good snowfall year. Things could change, but right now it looks like California will likely see a wetter winter.
I imagine this means that some of the flooding and other negative impacts we saw from the heavy rain last winter will only increase as reservoirs are already full and other flood infrastructure may be weakened.
It all depends on how quickly storms return one after the other, how big they are and how much they reinforce each other. If they come a little slower, that’s actually great: snow is being deposited in the mountains at a steady pace and the snowpack is building up, so there’s enough to get us through the summer. It really all depends on the frequency and timing.
Why are the holes so important? So some of the water can evaporate?
Absolute. Or to soak in more, or to be used. Another problem occurring in California is slope erosion. These steep slopes suddenly take on too much water and cannot support the weight, and then they collapse. Mudslides are always something we think about when there is an increased risk of precipitation during a season.
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Where we travel to
Today’s tip comes from Jamie Matter, who recommends a visit Santa Rosa Islandpart of the Channel Islands National Park:
“If you go camping there, it is not for the faint-hearted, but once the boat leaves there will be a maximum of 75 visitors on the island. This is because there are only 15 campsites, where a maximum of five people can stay per site. Obviously you’ll have to plan well in advance to get a spot, but the quality of the experience is unsurpassed. And the boat ride there and back is great. There are of course day hikes available, but the camping experience is unlike anything I’ve heard in other national parks. Imagine being on a beach for miles and seeing no one else, or only a handful of other people. Walk through one of only two groves of Torrey pine in the world and see the endemic island foxes scurrying around. They are a success story after almost becoming extinct.”
Tell us about your favorite places to visit in California. Email your suggestions to CAtoday@nytimes.com. We will share more in future editions of the newsletter.
Tell us
How do you celebrate the holidays in California? With a refreshing walk on the beach, a batch of tamales or stargazing in the desert?
Email me at CAtoday@nytimes.com with your Golden State holiday traditions. Please include your name and the city in which you live.
And before you go: good news
Perhaps the Bay Area’s greatest contribution to the American burrito canon is the Mission-style burrito, the super-stuffed, maximalist style of burrito that originated in San Francisco and has spread nationally (made famous in part by Chipotle).
But the Bay Area is a diverse destination for burritos, and the region has a wide variety of restaurants and businesses offering burritos of every style except the famous Mission variety. Cesar Hernandez of The San Francisco Chronicle recently made a list of the best burritos in the Bay Area, with the best in Northern California, from Petaluma to San Jose.
Among the 22 places highlighted by Hernandez are a spot that specializes in breakfast burritos in San Francisco’s Mission District, a taqueria with Mexico City flavors in its burrito fillings and a spot that he calls “the most reliable burrito source in Oakland’, featuring traditional burritos and customizable creations.
Read the full list here and find the best burritos near you.